Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Acquires 6,103 Shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 14.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 46,989 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,103 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Equifax were worth $11,975,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EFX. Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in Equifax by 8.7% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 6,588 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,936,000 after purchasing an additional 527 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Equifax during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Equifax by 59.8% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,358 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $399,000 after purchasing an additional 508 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP bought a new position in Equifax during the third quarter worth about $264,000. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Equifax by 18.8% in the third quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,242 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $659,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EFX opened at $239.64 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $29.72 billion, a PE ratio of 49.62, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. Equifax Inc. has a 1-year low of $213.02 and a 1-year high of $309.63. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $254.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $268.68.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12. Equifax had a net margin of 10.63% and a return on equity of 19.13%. Research analysts predict that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.65%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is 32.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on EFX. Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on shares of Equifax from $325.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Argus cut shares of Equifax from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Equifax from $321.00 to $313.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Equifax from $335.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Equifax from $304.00 to $283.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $301.13.

About Equifax

Equifax Inc operates as a data, analytics, and technology company. The company operates through three segments: Workforce Solutions, U.S. Information Solutions (USIS), and International. The Workforce Solutions segment offers services that enables customers to verify income, employment, educational history, criminal justice data, healthcare professional licensure, and sanctions of people in the United States; and employer customers with services that assist them in complying with and automating payroll-related and human resource management processes throughout the entire cycle of the employment relationship.